Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-10-17
THE RAILWAY DEAL,
WHICH WAS NOT C~ONsUMxATsD THROUGH
AN INABILITY TO AGREE.
A Good Deal Of Gossip Over The "Rsgistsrs' PuAhca-
tCn-Soms inaccuracies Regarding the Pup
ositioas Corrected THIS Morning.

The account in the REGISTER yes
terday morning Of the attempts which rep
ressntatives OF the Wheeling Electrical
COMPANY and of the Citizens Street Rail
way Company had been making 70 the end
that these two corporations might be con-
solidated into one company, having entire
control of the street car traffic OF the city,
created a good deal of interest among all
classes of citizens, and there was a good
deal of satisfaction expressed that the mat
ter had not been cOnsummated. The In
formation regarding the conferences was
obtained by the REGISTER in a very irag-
meutary and unsatisfactory shape, the two
corporations desiring that nothing regard
ing the matter might get into print,
and, as a natural result, the re-
port was lame in W or three particulars.
Representatives of the Wheeling Railway
Company called at this office yesteI-
day and said there were several in
accuracies in that portion OF the article
which attempted to outline what took
place at the two conferences, which Is not
remarkable when one considers the oosta-
Giles which the reporter to whose lot the
assignment fell found in his path. In the
first place, the gentlemen took exceptions
to the statement that the first proposition
for O conference came from the Wheeling
Company. They stated that exactly the
reverse was true; that representatives OF
the Citizens Company waited upon a
director OF the Electrical Company and in
timated that their company would like to
have the question Of a consolidation dis
cussed, and suggested to him that the
| Wheeling Company appoint a committee
to meet with a similar committee from the
| Citizens Street Railway Company. The
first conference resulted from this sugges-
ton. and any statement that it was at the
original instance of the Wheeling Com
many is at variance with the facts and is
an injustice.
At this first meeting at the Dollar Saw
ings Bank the Citizens Company submitted
a proposition TO the effect that if the Wheel
ing Company would allow their franchise
to lapse they would be awarded a new
issue of $4,000 Of Citizens Company
bonds at par, and the latter company
would then ask Council for a new franchise
covering certain extensions of track on
South Main street, but not contemplating
either a new track north of the creek or an
extension of the line to Benwood. Moth
ing was said about a surrender or transfer
Of the existing franchise OF the Wheeling
Company, neither did the latter com
pany at this meeting make any counter
proposition to the Citizens railway repre-,
sentatives. These latter gentlemen did
most of the talking, and the other side
most of the listening.
At the second meeting this proposition
was rejected by the representatives of the
Wheeling Company. The Representatives
of the Citizens Company then asked that
a counter proposition be made. In 4
swer to this, the Wheeling Company re-
piled that they would 20 on and build their
line, and then form the consolidated cor
poration on the basis Of a report of the
value OF the two lines made by q board OF
arbitrators, appointed in the usual way,
substantially as was stated in the REGIS.
TER of Yesterday. In addition TO this,
however, the Wheeling Company went
further, and offered the Citizens Com
PAW the use of certain of their electrical
franchises at once, and pending the COM
plction of the Wheeling ~COmpany's line,
these franchises relating TO overhead
wires, etc. This proposition Was not
favorably received by the Citizens folks,
who said they 'had nothing more to say"
and the negotiations came to an end.
There was at no time anything said about
IAN increase Of the stock Of the Wheeling
Company, by say IS per cent, thus put
ting it Oh an equality with the Citizens
Company stock" and in general the state.
ment in the paper was exactly reversed as
regards what was said ard done.
These corrections make the data regard
ing meeting correct, and brings the situa-
ton down 10 date. What may transpire
in the future is hard 10 tell, but there is
little likelihood of negotiations being re-
newed.
In this connection il may be stated that
there is tair prospect that electricity will
he put on the Bellaire street railway in The
not distant future. A representative of
the Citizens Railway Company stated to
a REGISTER reporter, Saturday, that this
would be done, and it was minated that
if the change in motive power was not
made by the present owner of the road II
would be by others, the Inference being
that the companies on this side of the river
would give material aid to such a project.